Method and apparatus for buffing shoe soles



July 21, 1959 c. REYNOLDS 2,895,263

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUFFING SHOE SOLES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet 1 1v INVENTOR. i .Coy lieynoldS July 21, 1959 c. REYNOLDS A2,895,263

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUF' F ING SHOE SOLES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 4Sheets-sheaf. 2

, J L INVENTOR.

f C05 Reynozds BY 4 W W v Httorrmy July 21, 1959 c, REYNOLDS 2,895,263

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUFFING SHOE SOLES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOIR. CO5 Re na/d5 BY mm y 1959 c. REYNOLDS2,895,263

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUFFING SHOE SOLES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. C05 Reynolds United States Patent Ofitice2,895,263 Patented July 21, 1959 NEIH'OD AND APPARATUS FOR EUFFING SHOESOLES Coy Reynolds, Carey, Ohio, assignor to Seiberling Rub- ,berCompany, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 26,1955, Serial No. 542,826

11 Claims. (Cl, 511-139) This invention relates to a method andapparatus for bufiing shoe soles or like articles.

Shoe soles are buffed on the upper sides thereof to facilitate cementingthe same to shoe bottoms. Hereto fore, machines for bufiing orroughening shoe soles, and particularly those of rubber compositions,have been generally objectionable for several reasons. In the firstplace there was a great tendency for such machines to take a deeper biteout of the leading edges of the soles, due to tilting action of thesame, so that said leading edges were gouged or chamfered instead ofsquare as desired. Secondly, when uniform pressure of conventional guideand butting rollers was applied to the upper faces of shoe soles havingprotruding design configurations on the undersides thereof, for example,there Was a serious tendency to buff to greater depth at the portions ofsaid upper side opposite said design configurations.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved machine forbufling the upper faces of shoe soles or the like without gouging theleading edge of the work as it is fed through the machine, and withoutforming depressions in said upper faces due to the soles being ofirregular thickness.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bulfing machine of thecharacter described which may be operated for accurately buffing thework at substantially higher speeds than has been possible heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed which is easily and quickly adjustable to regulate or vary theamount of material removed from the Work.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following briefdescription and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a shoe sole bufiing machine embodying thefeatures of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section, on the same scale, takensubstantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar vertical cross-section, partly broken away, takensubstantially on the line 33 of Figure l.

. Figure 4 is a semi-diagrammatic vertical cross-section, on the samescale, taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross-section, partly broken away, taken longitudinallythrough one of the two upper bufiing pressure rollers, substantially asviewed on the line 5-5 of one of the same in Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings generally, there is illustrated a rubber shoesole buffing machine, wherein a continuous conveyor is adapted to conveya rubber or like shoe sole S flatwise in a horizontal plane toward aseries of vertically aligned pairs A, B, C, D and E of upper and lowerrollers mounted in a framework 21, the upper rollers of the pairs ofsaid series being designated 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, andthe lower rollers thereof being designated 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20,respectively. For assuring flatwise feeding of the sole S into the firstpair of rolls A, a frame 22 is pivotally mounted at 23 (see Figure 1),to extend toward the first pair A of rollers, said frame having thereona plurality of rollers 24, 24 which, under the weight of the same andthe frame 22, rotatably engage and hold down the sole S as it movesalong conveyor 10. Suitable conveyor means 25, including a driventake-off roller 26, is provided at the other end of the machine, toconvey soles S from the last pair of rollers E.

The lower rollers 16, 18 and 20 of the pairs A, C and E thereof, may berotatably mounted in the framework 21 to have the uppermost peripheralportions thereof aligned in said horizontal plane passing through theupper surface of conveyor 10, and also passing through the top portionsof take-elf roller 26 and the conveyor means 25. Lower butting rollers17 and 19 have continuous sandpaper or like belts 27 and 28,respectively, extended from the same to relatively larger rolls or drums29 and 30, respectively, rotatably mounted beneath the rollers 17 and19, to have the uppermost portions of the sanding belts substantially insaid horizontal plane of support of the shoe sole S. Rollers 16, 18 and20 are continuously driven to have constant linear speed at peripheralportions thereof, which linear speed may be substantially the same asthat of the conveyor belt 10. Take-off roller 26 is also driven to havesubstantially the same peripheral linear speed. Some or all of thedriving rollers 16, 18 and 20 may have serrated peripheral surfaces, asindicated at 31 in Figure 3, to provide improved driving negagement withthe sole S. The rollers 16, 18 and 20, being separately driven withrespect to conveyor 10 in a manner to be described later, may be drivenat greater linear speed than conveyor 10, if desired.

Upper pressure-applying rollers 11 to 15 of the respective pairs A, B,C, D and E thereof are idlers mounted to be urged downwardly against therespective driven lower rollers thereof, by separate predeterminatelyvariable pressure means 32, 32 (see Figures 1, 2 and 3), to be describedlater, the upper rollers 11, 13 and 15 having semi-hard rubber portions33, 33 of substantial thickness or depth adapted yieldingly to engagethe rubber sole S against the respective lower rollers, to hold the soleflat as it is frictionally driven from left to right through themachine, as viewed in Figure 4. Upper pressure rollers 12 and 14 havesubstantial thicknesses 34, 34 of relatively softer rubber or likestock, than the rollers 11, 13 and 15, adapted yieldingly to conform toprotrusions, such as the usual design configurations 35, on the sole, sothat the respective variable pressure means 32 will independently applyuniform pressure to said sole regardless of variations in thickness,particularly at the points of contacts of the bottom surface of the solewith sanding belts 27 and 28. Thus, by varying such pressures applied bythe respective pressure means 32, the amount of rubber removed or buffedfrom the sole may be accurately predetermined and correspondinglyvaried. The rubber of the pressure rollers 11, 13 and 15 may be in thenature of vulcanized wringer roll stock, while that of the pressurerollers 12 and 14 may be of the relatively more spongy stock. Conformityof the rubber of pressure rollers 34 to the aforementioned protrusions35 on the sole may be further aided by reducing the diameter of theroller shafts 12a and 14a, as indicated at 36 in Figure 5, to provideproportionately greater thicknesses of resilient rubber at the points ofcontact with the protrusions.

Sanding belt 27 may be driven at substantially greater linear speed thansole S, in the same direction at point of contact therewith, while theother belt 28 is driven in opposing direction to offset any tendency tospeed r 3' up the desired forward movement of the sole. The grade of thefirst sanding belt 27 may be finer than that of the sanding belt 28,further to improve the smoothness of operation of the machine, and toprovide the requisite uniform roughened or buffed surface for bestcementing the sole on a shoe.

For driving the sanding belts 27 and 28, as described above, shafts 37,37 of the rollers 17 and 19, and shafts 38, 38 of the drums 29 and 30,may be extended to any suitable power means, to be continuously driventhereby in synchronism with each other. The shafts 37 and 38 arerotatably supported in framework 21, as best shown in Figure 2.

As the variable pressure means 32 for the pairs of rollers A to D areessentially the same, only one of them will be described in detail.Accordingly, as best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the upper pressureroller (11 to is rotatably mounted between spaced bearings 39, 39 (seeFigure 2), secured to the underside of'an elongated floating bar 40, atopposite ends of which are bushings 42, 42 vertically slidably receivingupright rods 43, 43. These rods are secured on fixed supporting parts44-, 44 of framework 21. A bar 45 is affixed between the rods 43, inspaced parallelism above floating bar 40, and supports horizontallyspaced, fluid-pressure cylinders 46, 46 in which pistons are urgeddownwardly, whereby piston rod extensions 47, 47 engage or connect withthe movable bar 40 to urge the same downwardly in substantialparallelism, and thereby to urge the upper pressure roller (11 to 15)into yielding pressurizing engagement with the sole S, while backed by aplurality of the rollers 16 to 19. Fluid pressure medium, such aspressurized air, is supplied to the spaced cylinders 46, through conduitmeans 48 thereto, from a suitable source of the medium. The

fluid pressure is maintained constant as indicated on a gauge 49 in theconduit, and may be predeterminately varied, as by an adjustablepressure-control device 50 of known type (see Figures 2 and 3).

For limiting downward movement of the floating'bar 40, adjustable stopmeans '52 may be provided. As best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, thisstop means may comprise a manually operable screw 53 threaded in a plate54 spaced above fixed bar 45, and aflixed between the upper ends ofspaced upright rods 55, 55, which are in turn affixed at the lower endsthereof to the floating roller-supporting bar 40, said rods 55 beingvertically slidably received through sleeves 56, 56 secured in fixedbar' 45. In other Words the screw-holding plate 54 floats with thefloating bar 40. Thus, as best illustrated in Figure 2, the bar 40 isfree to be moved upwardly against the uniform pressure applied theretoby the piston rod extensions 47. The limit of downward movement of bar40 provided by the screw 53 prevents the rollers 11 to 15 fromcontacting and possibly damaging the mating rollers beneath the same aswhen there is no Work in the machine. This limiting action of screw 53also minimizes tapering of the leading edges of soles S upon initialcontact thereof with the sanding belts 27 or 28, as the case may be. Inother words, the amount of material removed from the sole S isdetermined by the speed of the sanding belt, the linear speed of thesole, and the amount of downward pressure applied to the sole .at thepoint of contact with the respective sanding band, which is easilyadjusted.

As best shown in Figures 1' and 4, for driving the conveyor ltl atrequisite linear speed, as previously described, a rearward shaftextension 57 of a fonward roller 58 thereof (Figure 4), has a sprocket59 keyed on the same, from which a chain 60 extends to a suitableelectrical power means (not shown). Another sprocket 61, on the samedriven shaft extension 57, has a chain 62 extended therefrom to asprocket 63 on a rearward'shaft extension 64 of roller 26 to drive thesame. The lower rollers 16 and 18 are likewise driven, as by means ofchains 65 and 66 extended from sprockets 67 and 68, on

forward shaft extension 69 and 70 of the respective said rollers 16 and18 and sprockets 67a and 68a, respectively, on a forward shaft extension64a of a driven roller 26. A chain 71 extended from a sprocket 72 on aforward shaft extension 73 of roller 26 to a second sprocket 74, onshaft extension 69, similarly drives the last-named roller.

In operation of the machine, a succession of closely spaced soles S ofthe same size and resilient material are fed top side down by conveyor10, into the bight of the first pair A of driving rollers, the rollers24 of the pivoted hold-down device 22 maintaining said soles in flatwisecondition. As the soles quickly pass through the machine they aremaintained in such flat condition by engagement between the alignedpairs A to E of rollers. The action of the soft rubber rollers 12 and14, applying uniform pressures to the soles against oppositely movingsanding bands 27 and 28 regardless of variations in thickness of thesame, is effective to remove a predetermined uniform thickness ofmaterial from the downwardly presented surfaces of the soles, andthereby to provide requisitely roughened surfaces best suitable forcementing the soles to shoes in known manner. As the soles pass frombetween the last pair E of driving rollers, the driven roller 26 willurge the buffed soles onto conveyor 25, from which the soles may becarried to another stage of operation by any suitable conveyor means.

' It should be noted that the soles S pass from the conveyor 10 into thebight between the first pair A of work driving rollers in full flatcondition, and hence there is no tendency for the first set B of buffingrollers to gouge the leading edges of the soles. Also, by means of thealignment of the bights of the pairs A to E of rollers in a horizontalplane, combined with uniform fluid-actuated pressure applied to theresilient upper rollers of said pairs thereof, the soles are firmlymaintained in flatwise condition all through the aforementioned buffingoperation. The construction and operation is such that soles S may beefiectively buffed in quick succession, as fast as seventy feet perminute, or approximately ten times faster than the best machinespreviously available on the market.

The method of the invention includes the steps of moving the rubber soleS along a given path, as described, while backed and supported in rigidor firm flatwise condition, and with the surface to be bulfed presenteddownwardly in a plane; moving a pair of continuous surface portions ofabrasive material (sanding belts 27 and 28), in inwardly oppositedirections, upwardly against said surface of the sole and atsubstantially spaced points thereon, while yieldingly urging the soledownwardly toward said plane at variable predetermined pressures,whereby said abrasive surface portions will progressively buflf apredetermined thickness of material from said surface. The methodotherwise may be varied substantially in the manner previously describedin connection with the description of the machine.

The apparatus has a distinct advantage in that the inwardly oppositelymoving sanding belt surfaces are effective to carry the rubber buffingsfrom sole S downwardly between inwardly opposed reaches thereof, to bereceived in a suitable receptacle. That is, the buffings are not thrownin all directions outwardly of the machine, in the manner commonlyexperienced with other machines in the past.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit thereof or the scope of .the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for buffing shoe soles or like articles, comprising a pairof relatively fixed and movable rollers aligned in aplane and betweenwhich the articles is to be fed, means for transversely conveying thearticle flatwise along a path between said pair of rollers, means forrelatively urging said movable roller toward said fixed roller to engagethe article conveyed between them, means for rotating one of saidrollers, continuous abrasive means backed by said one rotated roller andadapted to be continuously movable therewith for buffing thecorresponding side of the article, the other said roller havingperipheral portions of resilient material adapted yieldingly to conformto surface irregularities in the opposite side of the article, saidmeans for urging including a relatively fixed support generally in saidplane and spaced from said movable roller and having laterally spacedpressureoperated cylinders mounted thereon, laterally spaced guide meanson said fixed support extending at right angles to the axis of saidmovable roller, an element mounted on said spaced guide means andcarrying said movable roller to move the same in said plane inparallelism to said fixed roller toward and from the article conveyedbetween said rollers, said cylinders having pistons reciprocabletherein, a source of pressure-fluid connected to said cylinders toprovide uniform pressures to said pistons, and the pistons beingprovided with extensions therefrom operatively connected to saidelement, whereby the pressure operable on said pistons is eifective tomove said elements on said guide means and thereby move said movableroller in parallelism toward said fixed roller to apply substantiallyuniform pressure against said article conveyed between the rollers.

2. A machine of the character described as for bufiing shoe soles,comprising a series of horizontally spaced and horizontallysubstantially aligned pairs of relatively fixed and independentlyvertically relatively movable members between which the work is adaptedto be passed flatwise to have one face thereof in a horizontal planetangent to aligned work-contacting portions of the relatively fixedmembers, at least some of said members being driven rollers adapted tofeed the work flatwise between the bights of the aligned pairs ofmembers, and fluid-pressure actuated means independently urging each ofsaid relatively movable members toward the correspondingly relativelyfixed members in parallelism thereto, thereby frictionally to engage thework between the pairs of members, at least one pair of said membersincluding a driven roller having continuous abrasive means backedagainst the same and continuously movable therewith against said oneface of the work to remove a thickness of material therefrom, adjustablestop means being provided for limiting the relative movement of each ofsaid movable members towards the respective relatively fixed members.

3. A machine of the character described as for buffing shoe soles,comprising a series of horizontally spaced substantially horizontallyaligned pairs of relatively fixed and independently verticallyrelatively movable members between which the work is adapted to bepassed flatwise to have one face thereof in a horizontaly plane tangentto aligned work-contactnig portions of the relatively fixed members, atleast some of said members being driven rollers adapted to feed the workflatwise between the bights of the aligned pairs of members, andfluid-pressure actuated means independently urging said relativelymovable members in parallelism toward the corresponding relatively fixedmembers frictionally to engage the work between the pairs of members, atleast one pair of said members including a driven roller havingcontinuous abrasive means backed against the same and continuouslymovable therewith against said one face of the work to remove athickness of material therefrom, at least one other pair of said membersincluding a driven roller having continuous abrasive means 'backedagainst the same and continuously movable therewith against said oneface of the work to remove a thickness of material therefrom, saidmoving abrasive means being moved against the work in oppositedirections.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein individually adjustablestop means is provided for predeterminately limiting the relativemovement of the re- 6 spective relatively movable rollers toward thecorresponding relatively fixed rollers.

5. A machine for bufling shoe soles or like articles, comprising aplurality of longitudinally spaced units each having pairs of relativelyfixed and movable rollers aligned substantially in a vertical plane andbetween which the article is to be fed; each said unit including meansfor relatively urging said movable roller thereof toward the fixedroller of the same to engage the article conveyed between them and meansfor rotating one of said rollers; at least one said unit havingcontinuous abrasive material backed by said one rotated roller thereofand adapted to be continuously movable therewith for buifing thecorresponding side of the article; said means for urging in each saidunit including a relatively fixed support generally in the verticalplane of the respective pair of rollers and spaced from the movableroller, laterally spaced presure-operated cylinders mounted on saidfixed support, laterally spaced guide means on said fixed supportextending substantially at right angles to the axis of the movableroller, an element mounted on said spaced guide means and carrying therespective said movable roller to move the same in said vertical planein parallelism to said fixed roller toward and from the article conveyedbetween the rollers, the respective said spaced cylinders having pistonsreciprocable therein and a source of pressure-fluid connected to saidcylinders to provide uniform pressure to said pistons, the pistons beingprovided with extensions therefrom connected to said element, wherebythe pressure operable on said pistons is effective through saidextensions to move said element on said guide means and thereby to movesaid movable roller to apply substantially uniform pressure against saidarticle conveyed between the rollers.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein at least said one unit isprovided with adjustable stop means between said movable element andsaid fixed support thereof for predeterminately limiting relativemovement of the relatively movable roller thereon toward thecorresponding said fixed roller to control the depth of the buifingaction on the article.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein each said unit is providedwith individually adjustable stop means for predeterminately limitingthe relative movement of the respective relatively movable rollerstoward the corresponding relatively fixed rollers.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein a second said unit inspaced relation to said one unit has abrasive material backed by saidone rotated roller thereof and adapted to be continuously movabletherewith for buffing the article in direction inwardly opposed to themovement of the first-named abrasive material.

9. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein a second said unit inspaced relation to said one unit has abrasive material backed by saidone rotated roller thereof and adapted to be continuously movabletherewith for bufiing the article in direction inwardly opposed to themovement of the first-named abrasive material, the relatively movablerollers of said one and said second units having article-engagingsurface portions of yieldingly depressible elastic material.

10. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein a sec ond said unit inspaced relation to said one unit has abrasive material backed by saidone rotated roller thereof and adapted to be continuously movabletherewith for bufling the article in direction inwardly opposed to themovement of the first-named abrasive material, the relatively movablerollers of said one and said second units having article-engagingsurface portions of yieldingly depressible elastic material, the spacedsaid one and said second bufiing units having an intermediate said unittherebetween in which the said movable roller has article-engagingsurface portions of yieldingly depressible elastic material.

11. A machine as for bufiing shoe soles or like articles, havingthickening surface irregularities on one side thereof comprising a pairof rollers between which the article is to be fed, means for conveyingthe article flatwise between said pair of rotatable rollers, means forrelatively urging said rollers toward each other to engage the articleconveyed between them, means for rotating one of said rollers,continuous abrasive means backed by said one rotated roller and adaptedto be continuously movable therewith for bufiing the other side of thearticle, the other said roller having a continuous peripheral area andbeing of resilient materials to substantial depth yieldingly to conformto said one side of the article fed between the rollers, the other saidroller also having an inner supporting core of rigid material and whichis of reduced diameter centrally thereof thereby to presentcorrespondingly centrally thickened portions of said resilient article.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHerchenrider June 13, 1939 Pratt July 8, 1941 Pratt et al July 8, 1941Miller July 15, 1947 Czarnecki Mar. 4, 1952 Sherrill et a1 Jan. 11, 1955Gifiord Apr. 26, 1955 Hercik Mar. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great BritainNov. 23, 1925 Germany Aug. 18, 1952

